#ok full disclosure there IS another Old English poem that imho is Cas-Coded enough

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

look when I said "Cas sees Sam & Dean as having a mother-and-son dynamic in SPECIFICALLY THE EARLY MEDIEVAL SENSE", I'm not just talking about the Old English cultural dynamics present with hunters as a whole (though thats a fascinating topic in itself), I mean Cas knows SPECIFICALLY AND EXACTLY WHAT SAM AND DEAN ARE, and therefor exactly What and Who he fell in love with, and acts accordingly.

also can we talk abt how this lore changes Destiel? Like scholars have spent a CENTURY debating what Grendel's Mother is, if she's a monster or a human, if she even exists separate from her son, if she's an abstract concept, personification of revenge, etc

and then an ANGEL FROM HEAVEN finds Grendel's Mother in Hell, in all his/her demonic, Cain-cursed inglory, and goes

"oh- you're made out of love."

and like. EVEN IN A SERIOUS ACADEMIC SENSE. THATS NOT AN INCORRECT TAKE.

AND THEN. AND THEN THIS ANGEL. FALLS SO DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH GRENDELS MOTHER. WHO DOESNT EVEN THINK SHE'S/HE'S A REAL PERSON OUTSIDE OF PROTECTING GRENDEL. THAT THIS ANGEL *LEAVES HEAVEN* TO BE THE AGGRESSIVELY PAGAN-CODED WORSHIPPER/LOVER OF *GRENDEL'S MOTHER*. A CHARACTER WHO UNTIL SPN NEVER EVEN HAD A NAME.

Cas rly went "yes everything you do and everything you are is built from your love and protectiveness from your Giant Cursed Son. that doesn't make you less of a person, it makes you a wonderful, amazing, caring person who deserves to express that love softly instead of by Stabbing Everything All The Time."

and ofc initially Grendel's Mother is like "1) no seriously I'm not an actual 'person' I'm just a character 2) My son and I are EXTREMELY cursed, please do not get close to us" but then slowly, slowwwwwly begins to accept the idea that he is loved exists as an independent entity.

(Eileen, meanwhile, 100% knows Who And What Sam Is due to her background with Fae-adjacent hunts. She's absolutely a monsterfucker. Good for her. Grendel is her boyfriend and invited her over to his Cave Lair Of Lost Knowledge And Ancient Treasure to meet his mom, a biblically-accurate angel and Jack. GOOD FOR HER.)

i hate hate HATE when fics pose cas as a timid wittle baby who doesn’t know anything about the human world. HE’S THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN OBSERVING EARTH FOR GENERATIONS. sure, he might not understand all the pop culture references, BUT HE’S NOT CLUELESS ABOUT EVERYTHING. STOP BABYING HIS CHARACTER. HE IS MURDEROUS AT POINTS AND CAN KILL W THE FLICK OF HIS WRIST AND WILL COMMAND RESPECT AND PUT DEAN ON HIS KNEES IN AN ALLEYWAY.